Scottish Wool Curtains for the Whitehouse!

I love this fabric and its the color I am using to decorate with right now! How cool is that. I don't expect I could afford to import this however!

Curtains for Obama, thanks to Scottish fabric firm

The Scotsman
Published Date: 13 February 2009
By Frank Urquhart
Opulent curtains, made by one of Scotland's leading textile companies, will grace the White House, it was revealed yesterday.
The order has been commissioned by Michael Smith, a Los Angeles-based designer brought in by the first lady, Michelle Obama, to refurbish the private family apartments in the east wing of the building.

And the specially made fabric, a mixture of
the finest wool and silk, has already been
shipped to America by MacNaughton Holdings, a Perth-based company established in 1783. The fabric was made at the company's main textile mill in Keith in Moray.

Blair MacNaughton, the managing director of the company, which is based at Inveralmond, said he had received a request for an urgent delivery of the material shortly before Mr Obama's inauguration.

He said: "Michael Smith is one of our customers and has two or three of our products which he buys on a regular basis.

"About a week before the inauguration, he contacted us to say that he had been asked to do the interior design for the new residents at the White House.

"He needed 120 metres of one of our products extremely urgently to go into the White House."

MacNaughton Holdings is the second Scottish company to be given a key role in redecorating the White House.

The Biggar-based Calzeat Ltd has also been asked by Mr Smith to supply bespoke fabrics for the Obama family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Karrie Gillett

FABRIC made in Scotland has been flown to America to be used for curtains in President Obama’s bedroom.

The pure wool cloth produced by a Perthshire company has been ordered to make up all the curtains for the Obama private quarters in the White House.

America’s First Lady Michelle Obama enlisted the services of a US-based interior designer who placed the huge fabric order with Macnaughton Holdings in Perth.

And staff at the firm’s weaving depot in Keith, Morayshire, was told who their famous client was just ten days before Barack’s inauguration.

Now, the order has been completed in less than four weeks and is on its way to Washington to hang in the private rooms of America’s top family.

Blair Macnaughton, managing director, said all 82 workers were incredibly proud of helping out their most powerful customer.

Mr Macnaughton said: “The United States represents a huge market for us with Americans loving the quality fabric which is 100 per cent Scottish.

“But when we were told we would be working for the most powerful man in the world we were understandably pretty chuffed.

“It is a really nice thought to know that our fabric is going to be used in the Obamas’ own rooms.

“The whole thing has given all the staff a really good boost to morale.”

The textile company has been designing interior fabrics and kilts since 1783 and Blair, 55, is the seventh generation boss.

The firm was contacted by interior designer to the stars Michael Smith who was hired to help revamp the family home in the White House vacated by the Bush clan.

Smith, a California-based designer, has a list of celebrity clients including Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman and supermodel Cindy Crawford.

The order for the ecru stripe Scots fabric was placed just before Obama took up office when wife Michelle decided the White House needed a more “family-friendly feel”.

Mr MacNaughton said: “It really is a fantastic contract for us to get – we have the most powerful man in the world looking at our fabric every day.

“The cloth was made in Scotland with love and care and we’re sure President Obama will be very pleased with it.”

http://deadlinescotland.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/president-orders-perth-firms-fabric-for-white-house-598/

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Curtains-for-Obama-thanks-to.4977161.jp


MacNaughton Holdings http://www.macnaughton-group.com/

Koala Rescued

Koala Rescued From Australia's Wildfire Wasteland

It was a chance encounter in the charred landscape of Australia's deadly wildfires: A koala sips water from a bottle offered by a firefighter. David Tree noticed the koala moving gingerly on scorched paws as his fire patrol passed. Clearly in pain, the animal stopped when it saw Tree.

"It was amazing, he turned around, sat on his bum and sort of looked at me with (a look) like, put me out of my misery," Tree told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I yelled out for a bottle of water. I unscrewed the bottle, tipped it up on his lips and he just took it naturally.

"He kept reaching for the bottle, almost like a baby."

The team called animal welfare officers to pick up the koala Sunday, the day after deadly firestorms swept southern Victoria state.

"I love nature, and I've handled koalas before. They're not the friendliest things, but I wanted to help him," Tree said.

Coleen Wood, manager of the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter where the koala was taken for treatment of second- and third-degree burns to its paws, said Wednesday that it was expected to make a full recovery.


Wood said there was no doubt the animal was wild, not domesticated, and that it would be released back into nature once a suitable habitat is found — the foliage in Sam's forest was all but destroyed.

"The hardest part is going to be trying to find enough habitat to support these guys," Wood said.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals said it was establishing shelters to care for thousands of pets and livestock affected by the fires.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6842977

More news from Australia on the Fires

This just in from my friend Lou in Australia

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires/

Deepest Sympathy to Australia

http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2009/national/darkestday/slides.html
Bushfires raged through Victoria

OUR DARKEST DAY

If you can watch this if you have the bandwidth slide show from the link above. My God, it's hard to see this happen to the good people of Australia.


This video will give you a little idea but try the above link directly from Australia from the Sidney Morning Herald for a real idea of the scope of this horror.

Australia you are in our heart and prayers!

http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2009/national/darkestday/video06.html

Fear Factor, A COP IS MORE LIKELY TO KILL YOU THAN A TERRORIST

The following ratios were compiled using data from 2004 National Safety Council Estimates, a report based on data from The National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, 2003 mortality data from the Center for Disease Control was used.

You are 13 times more likely to die in a railway accident than from a terrorist attack

You are 12,571 times more likely to die from cancer than from a terrorist attack

You are six times more likely to die from hot weather than from a terrorist attack

You are eight times more likely to die from accidental electrocution than from a terrorist attack

You are 11,000 times more likely to die in an airplane accident than from a terrorist plot involving an airplane

You are 87 times more likely to drown than die in a terrorist attack

You are 404 times more likely to die in a fall than from a terrorist attack

You are 17,600 times more likely to die from heart disease than from a terrorist attack

You are 1048 times more likely to die from a car accident than from a terrorist attack

You are 12 times more likely to die from accidental suffocation in bed than from a terrorist attack

You are nine times more likely to choke to death on your own vomit than die in a terrorist attack

You are eight times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist.

Rabbit doctor in first for Europe

Brigitte Reusch will run a clinic as well as lecture


A special rabbit doctor has been appointed in Edinburgh following a surge in popularity of the furry pet.

Brigitte Reusch has taken up the role as lecturer in rabbit medicine and surgery at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

Ms Reusch, who has several years of experience in treating rabbits, will also run a dedicated rabbit clinic.

Edinburgh University said it was the first post in Europe for a lecturer in rabbit medicine and surgery.

It is estimated that there are more than 1.4 million pet rabbits in the UK, which are either kept indoors as house pets or outside.

Ms Reusch said: "An increasing number of people are buying rabbits as pets, with what is very much becoming a lifestyle decision. Many people, for instance, are deciding to have rabbits as house pets as this fits in better with their busy working lives than having other pets.

There is a lot of misinformation around about the best way to keep rabbits in optimum health


"There is a lot of misinformation around about the best way to keep rabbits in optimum health.

"Common things that we see include dental, urinary tract and digestive diseases, all of which could potentially be fatal."

One of the most common problems relating to rabbit welfare is poor diet, as owners may not realise that simply feeding them breakfast and dinner is not good for wearing the rabbits' teeth down as they need to eat hay or grass throughout the day. This also prevents them from becoming bored.

It is also important to ensure that pet rabbits, which have evolved from the European wild rabbit, are not kept too warm to avoid them becoming over heated.

Caroline Adam, 42, of Aberdeenshire, bought her rabbit Humphrey three years ago.

Ms Adam said: "I got Humphrey as looking after a rabbit is easier than say, for instance, looking after a dog or a cat.

"He has his own run outside attached to inside and also likes having the run of the house.

"He does have problems with his teeth but has had scans and all sorts to help with this.

"The good treatment that he receives means that, although his dental disease is something that will persist, he is a happy chap."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7878548.stm

Burns Illuminated - Red Hot Chilli Pipers - David Sibbald

A documentary of the George Square celebration of the 250th anniversary of
the birth of Robert Burns on January 25, 2009.



http://www.homecomingscotland2009.com/whats-on/events/burns-illuminated-4840.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7848022.stm